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Air Kraft - Hank Kraft soars, scores and slam dunks for Timber Lake Panthers
Timber Lake's Hank Kraft competes in the long jump at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays.
(Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

Air Kraft - Hank Kraft soars, scores and slam dunks for Timber Lake Panthers

May 15, 2022
  

By Ryan Deal

605 Sports

TIMBER LAKE — Hank Kraft’s four-year career has been defined by game-changing touchdowns, fast-break dunks and record-setting track and field marks. 

At 5-foot-8, the Timber Lake High School senior has left a big impression on the tiny school in north central South Dakota and combines natural athleticism with pure determination. 

“He’s a phenomenal athlete and I think a lot of people try to say it’s his natural ability,” Timber Lake track and field coach Ryan Gimbel said. “But he’s also one of the hardest working kids I’ve ever had.”

He’s been like a human highlight reel, too. In football, the two-time all-stater was a threat to score anywhere on the field, racking up 5,676 all-purpose yards and 76 total touchdowns for his career. On the hardwood, he earned third-team all-state honors, averaged 16 points per game this season and threw down a number of breakaway jams. In track and field, he’s done everything from triple jump, long jump, high jump, sprints, relays and shot put.

It’s safe to say athletes like Kraft don’t come around that often.   

“I keep telling myself there’s not always going to be one in a class like this,” said Gimbel, who is also the Timber Lake football coach. “So when we get to watch him have the success he’s had, it’s been rewarding in itself just seeing him be successful.”

Gimbel has been instrumental in fostering Kraft’s successful athletic career. In Kraft’s sixth-grade year, Gimbel started a weightlifting program and he’s been a workout warrior since. 

“That's definitely helped a lot,” Kraft said. “Just growing as an overall athlete and being able to be stronger than other people in football and it made me a lot faster for track and basketball.”

Timber Lake's Hank Kraft competes in the long jump at the Howard Wood Dakota Relays. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

The program developed his chiseled 205-pound frame, bulked up his “tree trunk” legs as Gimbel calls them and built up Kraft’s explosiveness for his favorite sport. 

“Football is definitely my favorite just because of the physicality and the friendships you make in football with your team are different than any other sport,” said the soft-spoken Kraft.

In nine-man football, the best athletes are moved all over the field and Kraft was no exception to the rule. During his four-year career, he played running back, wide receiver, cornerback, linebacker and return specialist. This past season, Kraft rushed for a school-record 1,983 yards and scored 24 touchdowns. He racked up 3,619 rushing yards and 53 touchdowns in his career, while he added 973 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns.

Timber Lake's Hank Kraft shakes off a Lyman defender during this past football season. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)
   

Those numbers demonstrate why Gimbel said “there was never a dull moment,” when Kraft was on the field. 

As a freshman, Kraft scored two key fourth-quarter touchdowns, including a 70-yard touchdown reception in a 48-44 seesaw win over Potter County. 

This past fall, the Panthers were clinging to a 16-12 third-quarter lead against Lemmon/McIntosh and were backed up at their own three-yard line. On 3rd and 9, Gimbel opted not to try a desperation pass, and instead handed the ball off to Kraft, who scampered for a school-record 97-yard touchdown run. 

In this past season’s Class 9AA quarterfinals, Lyman tied the score at 18-18 with 36 seconds left and Kraft’s number was again called in a crucial moment. On 3rd and 10, Kedrick Martin heaved a pass in Kraft’s direction, he spun away from his defender, hauled in the pass and scored a game-winning 43-yard touchdown reception with five seconds left. 

“He was at any moment in time one missed tackle from big plays,” Gimbel said. “... I watched that kid bear crawl for as many yards as he could just to get another yard or so. That was his mentality. He was going to have a motor, and if you weren’t ready to stop him, he was going to run you over, run through you, run around you or jump over you.”

Speaking of jumping, Kraft has also found a niche in that department. Kraft’s first dunk was at a basketball camp the summer before his sophomore season, when he was between 5-foot-6 and 5-foot-7.

“I thought it was pretty cool,” Kraft said. “There were a bunch of younger kids and some other people watching. I didn’t think it was going to happen at the time.”

The dunks later happened regularly for Kraft, who jammed several times his junior and senior seasons. His favorite dunk was in Kadoka this past season when Kraft, showing off his cornerback skills, intercepted a pass and hammered a two-handed dunk for a four-point lead with 40 seconds to go. 

“That one in Kadoka I guess was the only time I did in a close game,” Kraft said. “That was exciting.” 

Kraft’s jumping abilities don’t stop there. He holds school records in the triple jump (44-1) and long jump (22-2.5). Last season, Kraft won the Class B state championship in the triple jump and placed seventh in the long jump.

“Before the season it wasn’t much of a goal,” Kraft said about the triple jump championship. “I didn’t really think it was all that possible, but going into the state meet that was the goal.”

Last season, he added shot put — yes shot put — to his track and field résumé. It’s not an event associated with running backs, point guards and jumpers that stand 5-foot-8. 

But Kraft, who tried the event on a whim, of course found a way to stand out.

“Last year, I was kind of messing around a little at the shot put after practice and the throwers were throwing,” Kraft said. “I just tried it I guess and we decided I was going to give it a shot at a meet.”


Kraft, who was competing against athletes much bigger and taller than him, finished 15th at last season’s state meet with a toss of 43-6.25. Currently, Kraft is ranked No. 9 among Class B shot putters with a personal record of 47-10 and he’s reached 50-feet in practice.

He’s still learning the form and technique of shot put, but Gimbel said strength was never a concern for the non-traditional shot putter. 

“When we first started guys were walking around him and he looks up at everybody to talk,” Gimbel said. “Then all of a sudden, he goes and bombs it, and now they are all going ‘Where did this kid come from?’ ”

In the immediate future, Kraft will finish his high school career with three more meets, including state on May 26-28 in Sioux Falls. 

His athletic career, however, is not finished as he’ll play college football at Northern State University. Kraft, who is first cousins with South Dakota State University All-American tight end Tucker Kraft, is slated to play running back for the Wolves. 

Northern State was Kraft’s lone offer and Gimbel said he’ll make the most of it. 

“He’s got a very successful future in whatever he decides to do,” Gimbel said. “He’s going to be successful because he’s going to push himself and he’s never going to take no. He’s just going to continue to grow and develop himself and set forward the name Hank Kraft.”